I got nuthin.
Let's see... Stream of cosciousness gonne stoff I have thought about recent lie...
When I started this whole shooting thing the support groups of blogs and such where I got most of my starter info of course highlighted Jeff Cooper. If you want to shoot a pistol well and distill everything down into something simple you can remember, Cooper's Gunsite gave you the mantra: "Front Sight, Press"
Look at your front sight, press the trigger to the rear. Which implies what not to do in those three words. Don't focus on the target and don't yank that trigger.
Academically I understood that and took it to heart. It's good advice.
Now that I have gotten better at shooting.. it's still good advice. But there is so much more packed into that phrase that I understand much better now.
And yet, I still catch myself slapping that trigger something awful. Usually pushing myself to go faster. Another less I am constantly relearning. If you go for better shots and smoother shots the speed often is there with it. And the speed comes along in its own time otherwise.
Watching shooters that are better than me is a double edged sword. I am inspired to do better and see it can be done. But then I push to do that speed and end up pooping the bed.
Yep, but you've seen a LOT of improvement in your accuracy! That is all good!!! And yes, Front sight, press IS the mantra that works.
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm a "Yanker" too. When I got into Practical Pistol shooting (1983) I discovered that I needed to find a happy medium between speed and accuracy. One thing I did was find a gunsmith who could lighten up the trigger-pull on my competition 1911 so I didn't HAVE to put some muscle into it.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of the violin player who got lost in The Big CitY and asked a colleague how to get to Carnegie Hall.
The response: "Practice, Practice, Practice!"
I found that having a pistol with a tuned trigger for competition helped me to focus on the same priorities (accuracy over speed) using pistols designed for defense. I don't lighten the trigger on defense pistols, but I practice with them more hours.